Featured Post: communities
Dragging Transphobia
We’re teaming up with Persuasians, the first Asian drag house from the South, along with drag performers in Texas to celebrate trans liberation. Join us for a virtual drag night of celebration and FUN-raising for The Knights & Orchids Society: Dragging Transphobia!
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To the next POTUS: For communities of color, encryption is a civil right
In a political moment of heightened xenophobia, profiling and over-policing, encryption has become a key civil rights protection for targeted communities. Read More
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Towards a Selfish Solidarity: Building Deep Investment in the Movement for Black Lives
The need for a deep and selfish solidarity of South Asians with #BlackLivesMatter became nationally visible last year. Sureshbhai Patel, an Indian man visiting America to care for his grandson, was mistaken for “a skinny Black man” by a neighbor who called the cops. When the cops could not communicate with him, because Mr. Patel does not speak English, one officer brutally slammed Mr. Patel into the ground, leaving him partially paralyzed. The police were called on Mr. Patel because he was mistaken for “a skinny Black man;” he was brutalized, beaten to the point of literal paralysis but not killed, because he was understood to be Indian and immigrant. Read More
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Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Community Organizations Stand Up for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
Those who are truly committed to equal educational opportunity should demonstrate real leadership and reinvest in higher education throughout the nation to expand access, affordability, equity, and student success. Decades of disinvestment in higher education across the country have made college less accessible for all students, especially students of color. We call for unity in standing up for the future of our youth and realizing the promise of equal opportunity for all in the United States. Read More
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'Got U Boo' and Other Things to Leave in High School
Eddie Huang’s tweets show that he believes himself to be above anyone who dares challenge him and denigrates their opinions by implying that they are trying to ride on his coattails. It’s convenient for him to attack anyone who dares challenge his position as someone seeking attention or wanting to date him because this can also be a deterrent against other critics. And with this line of 'reasoning,' he can deflect attention from his poor communication skills and onto the person trying to ask an honest question. Read More
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The Meemao Monster
My daughter pointed to the television set. She was fascinated by Margaret Cho. Maybe she recognized someone that looked a little like her mother? Maybe she recognized someone that sounded a little like her mother when my Hmong accent grew thick? My daughter turned to me. She pointed back at the television. She said, “Meemao”…monster. Read More
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8 Things Mark Wahlberg Can Do To Atone For His Crimes
I’ve read a lot of feedback over the past couple of days about our petition to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to reject Mark Wahlberg’s pardon request. The most interesting feedback was the thought-provoking stuff: specifically, let’s assume, for sake of argument, that Wahlberg has changed in the past 25 years. If that’s true, what could Wahlberg do to earn our trust, blessing, and goodwill? Read More
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A Week of Queer South Asian Rage
We live in a nation that doesn’t value our lives. President Barack Obama insists that we live in a “nation of laws.” He’s right; we do. We live in a nation of laws where we, as people of color, as immigrants, are less than human. We are denied the right to be with our families, to feel safe in public space, to be American, to live. We are a nation of laws that do not protect us. We are a nation of laws designed to keep us out, to keep us scared, and to keep us running. Read More
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#BlackLivesMatter: No Indictment, No Justice
Despite incredible public outcry and over 100 consecutive days of peaceful protests in Ferguson, Missouri, no charges were brought up against an officer of the law for shooting and killing an unarmed person. Demonstrations expressing frustration, anger, disappointment, and sadness over this decision popped up all over the country last night. Our justice system, yet again, has failed Black America. It has failed America, period. Read More